Music: An Escape from Everything

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” ― Albert Einstein“Music is what tells us that the human race is greater than we realize.” ― Napoléon Bonaparte

Have you ever lost yourself in the wind of music, in a universe with only you and music? Then, you can feel the above quotes. Music is a drug, the craving for which never ends.

Many authorities have suggested definitions for music, but defining music turns out to be more difficult than might first be imagined, and there is ongoing debate. Music is that universal language which is understood by everyone though they don’t understand it. According to the standard Oxford dictionary, music means vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.

After conducting many experiments and studies, researchers have come to a conclusion that it can help cure a person from many diseases in a shorter time than usual. This is why patients supported with mechanical ventilation, patients suffering from autism, depression, dementia, and even Alzheimer are given music therapy as a nursing intervention to keep them relaxed and reduce anxiety. A public experiment conducted by National Geographic proves that listening to music can make your brain work more efficiently.

Music is often related to animals, especially birds. Though birds don’t sing, “singing birds” is a very commonly used phrase. When listening to music, the behavior of some animals is a bit different from that of humans. Animals are made to listen to classical or soft music to keep them relaxed, on the other hand metal or harsh music can make them anxious. While cats don’t really care about human music, scientists are able to create music that they do enjoy. This contains frequencies and tempos similar to the ones cats use to communicate. Music is played in gowshalas which makes the cows produce more milk. Neuroscientists who have studied the music of the Thai Elephant Orchestra have determined that the animals are able to keep a very stable tempo on a large drum—even more stable than a human can. While bird brains react to music, in a way similar to humans, a study revealed that goldfish could be trained to distinguish between composers. They were actually able to differentiate between the timbre and pitch of different composers.

From the rustle of leaves to the sound of our foot-steps, from the giggle of a baby to the sound of crickets at night, from the sound of the revolving planets to the sound of a bird flapping its wing, from happiness to sadness, music is found everywhere in the fabric of space-time. It is like the soul which cannot be destroyed but can change its form. Ultimately, music is a god which makes one spell-bound when trying to explain.